HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - World War II veterans, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and a number of other dignitaries and invited guests will gather Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the World War II with a somber ceremony aboard the USS Missouri.
It was on the Battleship Missouri’s decks — at 9:02 a.m. on Sept. 2, 1945 — that the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies in a ceremony that ended the deadliest conflict in human history.
Organizers say the commemoration activities — which were significantly scaled back because of the pandemic — will be an opportunity to honor all those lost in the war, remember those lost since and reflect on the incredible legacy of a generation of veterans whose ranks are quickly dwindling.
The ceremony Wednesday morning will take place on the Missouri’s fantail, looking out toward Pearl Harbor — where Japan’s surprise attack on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941 threw the US into war.
SPECIAL SECTION: 75th World War II Commemoration
“There are really two primary days in the Pacific War, that is the beginning of it on Dec. 7, 1941 and the ending of it on Sept. 2, 1945,” said Pearl Harbor National Memorial Chief Historian Daniel Martinez.
He added the Missouri holds a legacy of its own, speaking for all who walked its decks.
“These are places where men risked their lives, and in some cases lost their lives. They’re these centurions of history, and we come to honor them,” Martinez said. “It’s one of those places that I’ve often said, if you allow yourself to touch history, in turn it will touch you.”
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Last week, organizers made the tough call to limit attendance at the Missouri ceremony to Hawaii veterans and a smaller list of other guests because of the risk of traveling during the pandemic.
The news was a blow to scores of WWII vets who had planned to travel from the mainland for the ceremony using a “visitor bubble.” Instead of coming together on the decks of the Missouri in person, they’‘ll now be there virtually — watching via livestream. Some are even planning small gatherings of their own.
“I was sure disappointed when they cancelled that trip,” 98-year-old veteran Jack Holder told KCRA in Phoenix. Holder witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor and remembers it like it was yesterday.
He said while he won’t be able to come to Hawaii for the ceremony, he’s looking forward to watching it online and remembering the legacy of those who served alongside him. “They refer to us as the Greatest Generation. I tell these kids that they could be the next Greatest Generation,” he said.
Even many Hawaii veterans aren’t planning to attend the event in person. Organizers say it will be limited to about 50 people and that health screenings and other safety protocols will be in place.
In all, 14 of Hawaii’s World War II veterans will be at the scaled-down event.
The National WWII Museum estimates there are fewer than 400,000 surviving World War II veterans nationwide, including about 2,500 in Hawaii. The US Department of Veteran Affairs, meanwhile, projects the islands will have fewer than 100 living World World II veterans by 2030.
It’s a reminder, organizers of Wednesday’s ceremony say, of just how important it is to honor those who served in WWII now — before all of them are gone.
“All of them are in their mid- to late 90s. They simply aren’t going to be around much longer to tell their stories,” said Erik Nelson, the director of a new documentary about the end of WWII in the Pacific.
“If you understand the sacrifices these guys gave to give us the country we have today it might help us put things in perspective.”
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